Assessing and modelling socio-ecological interactions of sacred forests in northwestern Greece.

The purpose of this thesis is to disentangle the relative influence of ecological and social processes in the composition, spatial patterning and temporal extent of Sacred Natural Sites (SNS). SNSs are natural places with spiritual and religious significance for local communities. They are peculiar coupled socio-ecological systems arising from long-lasting interactions between ecological processes and anthropogenic influences. SNSs have been recently recognized as providers of crucial nonmaterial benefits related to human-nature relationships. However, how different ecological and social processes interact in time and space influencing their formation remains a largely unexplored topic. This is especially relevant, as SNSs face increasing risks of degradation due the cultural and demographic changes occurred in the past decades (e.g. depopulation of rural areas, knowledge loss of traditional management practices). We use ecological and social data, collected on a sample of sacred forests in Northwestern Greece, to: (i) understand the main socio-ecological processes that led to the sacred forests establishment, (ii) identify spatial (i.e. forests extent and boundaries) and temporal (i.e. forests’ establishments) patterns across sacred forests; (iii) model the spatial extent of sacred forests over time to quantify how social processes impact the forest expansion. We do this through an interdisciplinary methodology, which combines diverse set of data stemming from different sources (data on forest structure and vegetation, tree rings data, ethnographic data) integrated and analysed in the thesis using both quantitative and qualitative techniques (statistical analysis, spatial analysis, environmental modelling). According to the findings of this thesis, we conclude that it is possible to disentangle the relative influence of ecological and social processes in the composition, spatial patterning and temporal extent of SNS. In the context of sacred forests in northwestern Greece, results suggest that traditional management practices and social beliefs are main drivers in defining the spatial structure of sacred forests, and in preserving them as time passes. Unfolding the role of these processes is fundamental for understanding how the historical change in cultural practices related to management of sacred sites has determined the trajectory of their vegetation composition and function. This analysis provides the first multidisciplinary assessment of SNSs role in a changing society, giving clearer perspectives on how to design conservation practices tailored to SNSs facing cultural abandonment.